My kitchen has a chile pepper theme. I have one of those "for decorative
purposes only" fancy bottles filled with bright red chiles and vinegar. I'd
like another, but I don't want to give up any counter space for something
just decorative.

Can I make my own bottle of chile vinegar and actually use the vinegar? I'm
thinking I could get a nice tall bottle and rig some kind of shaker top on
it. Then I could layer it full of peppers. I'm thinking sliced red
peppers, then garlic cloves, then sliced green peppers.

Would I need to boil the peppers in vinegar first? Could I simply add more
vinegar as the original supply in the bottle is used?

Anny

Anny Middon wrote:
> My kitchen has a chile pepper theme. I have one of those "for decorative
> purposes only" fancy bottles filled with bright red chiles and vinegar. I'd
> like another, but I don't want to give up any counter space for something
> just decorative.
>
> Can I make my own bottle of chile vinegar and actually use the vinegar? I'm
> thinking I could get a nice tall bottle and rig some kind of shaker top on
> it. Then I could layer it full of peppers. I'm thinking sliced red
> peppers, then garlic cloves, then sliced green peppers.
>
> Would I need to boil the peppers in vinegar first? Could I simply add more
> vinegar as the original supply in the bottle is used?
>
> Anny
>
>
Pretty much every southern family has a bottle of chiles in vinegar
sitting on the table. Shaker top under a cap. Put on your beans and
rice, your greens, shake over a salad, whatever.

Use a 50:50 mix of vinegar and water. Use at least a 5% vinegar. Boil
the mixture and pour over your chiles in the jar or shaker or whatever.
Once it settles down be sure you have the chiles covered with the mix.
As you use it up make up another batch of vinegar/water and fill the jar
up again. I have one on the counter in the kitchen that was originally
filled seven years ago and nothing has gone bad on it yet. YMMV

George

George Shirley wrote:

> Anny Middon wrote:
> > Can I make my own bottle of chile vinegar and actually use the vinegar?
> >
> Use a 50:50 mix of vinegar and water. Use at least a 5% vinegar. Boil
> the mixture and pour over your chiles in the jar or shaker or whatever.
> Once it settles down be sure you have the chiles covered with the mix.
> As you use it up make up another batch of vinegar/water and fill the jar
> up again. I have one on the counter in the kitchen that was originally
> filled seven years ago and nothing has gone bad on it yet. YMMV

That stuff is really nice on casseroles IMO.
Edrena

Anny Middon wrote:

> My kitchen has a chile pepper theme. I have one of those "for decorative
> purposes only" fancy bottles filled with bright red chiles and vinegar. I'd
> like another, but I don't want to give up any counter space for something
> just decorative.
>
> Can I make my own bottle of chile vinegar and actually use the vinegar? I'm
> thinking I could get a nice tall bottle and rig some kind of shaker top on
> it. Then I could layer it full of peppers. I'm thinking sliced red
> peppers, then garlic cloves, then sliced green peppers.

It works. I sell hundreds of 500 ml and 750 ml bottles of the stuff
every year. It won't work for all infused vinegars, but chile peppers
and garlic release flavor elements easily and quickly with heat. Put
the peppers and garlic in the bottle and add some vinegar or vinegars.

You don't need to fill the bottle to get potent flavor. I fill mine
about 1/4 of the way up.

I wouldn't just use white vinegar; no flavor beyond acetic acid. So
any vinegar or combination of vinegars to within a couple inches (5 or
6 cm) from the top and put into a saucepan of water and set on
low-medium heat. You don't want it to boil, just get hot. The water
should come at least a handspan up the side of the bottle. Keep it hot
for maybe 30 minutes. Let it cool, top it up and cork it or cover with
whatever you want to use.

You can add more vinegar as you use it. Don't wait until it's down
low, keep the bottle relatively full.

Happy vinegar.

Pastorio

> Would I need to boil the peppers in vinegar first? Could I simply add more
> vinegar as the original supply in the bottle is used?
>
> Anny
>
>

Bob (this one) wrote:

> Anny Middon wrote:
>
>> My kitchen has a chile pepper theme. I have one of those "for decorative
>> purposes only" fancy bottles filled with bright red chiles and
>> vinegar. I'd
>> like another, but I don't want to give up any counter space for something
>> just decorative.
>>
>> Can I make my own bottle of chile vinegar and actually use the
>> vinegar? I'm
>> thinking I could get a nice tall bottle and rig some kind of shaker
>> top on
>> it. Then I could layer it full of peppers. I'm thinking sliced red
>> peppers, then garlic cloves, then sliced green peppers.
>
> It works. I sell hundreds of 500 ml and 750 ml bottles of the stuff
> every year. It won't work for all infused vinegars, but chile peppers
> and garlic release flavor elements easily and quickly with heat. Put the
> peppers and garlic in the bottle and add some vinegar or vinegars.
>
> You don't need to fill the bottle to get potent flavor. I fill mine
> about 1/4 of the way up.

I just reread this and realized I wrote in unclearly. I meant not to
fill the bottle with peppers and stuff more than 1/4 full. Fill it
almost full with vinegar as described below. The more "stuff" you put
in the bottle, the less infused vinegar you'll have.

Sorry.

This also works for vodka. Makes stunning bloody marys. A tablespoon
or two of this vodka and the rest as usual. The vodka gets *very* hot.

Pastorio

> I wouldn't just use white vinegar; no flavor beyond acetic acid. So any
> vinegar or combination of vinegars to within a couple inches (5 or 6 cm)
> from the top and put into a saucepan of water and set on low-medium
> heat. You don't want it to boil, just get hot. The water should come at
> least a handspan up the side of the bottle. Keep it hot for maybe 30
> minutes. Let it cool, top it up and cork it or cover with whatever you
> want to use.
>
> You can add more vinegar as you use it. Don't wait until it's down low,
> keep the bottle relatively full.
>
> Happy vinegar.
>
> Pastorio
>
>> Would I need to boil the peppers in vinegar first? Could I simply add
>> more
>> vinegar as the original supply in the bottle is used?
>>
>> Anny
>>
>>
>

"Bob (this one)" wrote:

> I just reread this and realized I wrote in unclearly. I meant not to
> fill the bottle with peppers and stuff more than 1/4 full. Fill it
> almost full with vinegar as described below. The more "stuff" you put
> in the bottle, the less infused vinegar you'll have.

So if you don't put any in, it'll be perfectly infused? Sorta like
toilet paper never tears acros the holes?

B/, ducking

"Bob (this one)" > wrote in message
...

> > You don't need to fill the bottle to get potent flavor. I fill mine
> > about 1/4 of the way up.
>
> I just reread this and realized I wrote in unclearly. I meant not to
> fill the bottle with peppers and stuff more than 1/4 full. Fill it
> almost full with vinegar as described below. The more "stuff" you put
> in the bottle, the less infused vinegar you'll have.
>
> Sorry.

Ah, but I want the look of the bottle layered with peppers and garlic. I
don't mind there not being so much vinegar, since I think it will become
very flavorful -- enough so that I might have to combine it with a plain
vinegar on the salad or in the pot.

> This also works for vodka. Makes stunning bloody marys. A tablespoon
> or two of this vodka and the rest as usual. The vodka gets *very* hot.

Cajun martini

Recipe from memory, but originally in the Chicago Tribune:

Slice a hot pepper vertically. Open a bottle of vodka, and insert the
pepper. Fill the bottle to the top with vermouth.

After one day remove the pepper. Keep chilled and simply pour into chilled
martini glasses, garnished with a pickled okra.

My changes:

Use two to three serrano peppers. Pour off an ounce or two of vodka before
inserting the peppers to give you a little space for the vermouth. I *like*
some vermouth in my martinis.

Leave the peppers in the bottle. Keep in the freezer. The vodka gets
hotter the longer you keep it, enough so to make my toes curl, but boy is it
good! Nothing like that combo of blazing hot and icy cold.

Garnish with jalapeno-stuffed olives.

Anny

Anny Middon wrote:

> "Bob (this one)" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>
>>>You don't need to fill the bottle to get potent flavor. I fill mine
>>>about 1/4 of the way up.
>>
>>I just reread this and realized I wrote in unclearly. I meant not to
>>fill the bottle with peppers and stuff more than 1/4 full. Fill it
>>almost full with vinegar as described below. The more "stuff" you put
>>in the bottle, the less infused vinegar you'll have.
>>
>>Sorry.
>
>
> Ah, but I want the look of the bottle layered with peppers and garlic. I
> don't mind there not being so much vinegar, since I think it will become
> very flavorful -- enough so that I might have to combine it with a plain
> vinegar on the salad or in the pot.
>
>
>>This also works for vodka. Makes stunning bloody marys. A tablespoon
>>or two of this vodka and the rest as usual. The vodka gets *very* hot.
>
>
> Cajun martini
>
> Recipe from memory, but originally in the Chicago Tribune:
>
> Slice a hot pepper vertically. Open a bottle of vodka, and insert the
> pepper. Fill the bottle to the top with vermouth.
>
> After one day remove the pepper. Keep chilled and simply pour into chilled
> martini glasses, garnished with a pickled okra.
>
> My changes:
>
> Use two to three serrano peppers. Pour off an ounce or two of vodka before
> inserting the peppers to give you a little space for the vermouth. I *like*
> some vermouth in my martinis.
>
> Leave the peppers in the bottle. Keep in the freezer. The vodka gets
> hotter the longer you keep it, enough so to make my toes curl, but boy is it
> good! Nothing like that combo of blazing hot and icy cold.
>
> Garnish with jalapeno-stuffed olives.
>
> Anny


Do you think one red habanero in a 500ml or 750ml bottle of vodka would
be too much? I have a little bag of red and chocolate-colored habanero
(same seeds; some of the plants had red and some had brown fruits) in
the freezer. They are noticably hotter than regular yellow-orange habs.

-Bob

"zxcvbob" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> Do you think one red habanero in a 500ml or 750ml bottle of vodka would
> be too much? I have a little bag of red and chocolate-colored habanero
> (same seeds; some of the plants had red and some had brown fruits) in
> the freezer. They are noticably hotter than regular yellow-orange habs.
>

I'd say it depends on how long you have the vodka. Well, and as hot as you
like your cajun martinis. Given you have a bag of habs in your freezer, I
suspect you like it pretty damned hot. At any rate, try one pepper in a
bottle of vodka and taste after a day. Keep tasting every day or two until
it's as hot as you like.

Of course, you're taking the risk that by the time it's perfect, there's no
vodka left. If it's too hot after a day, you can mail it to me. :-)

I'd think that one habanero might become too hot for me in a month or so,
based on my experiments with 2 to 3 serranos. I probably won't try it
though -- I like the hot in habaneros, but I'm not crazy about the flavor.

BTW, I use a low-priced but not rotgut brand of vodka. Gordon's vodka is
reasonably priced around here, and that's the one I used last time I made
cajun martinis. With the pepper flavor, there's no reason to use the
high-priced stuff.

Anny

zxcvbob wrote:

> Do you think one red habanero in a 500ml or 750ml bottle of vodka would
> be too much? I have a little bag of red and chocolate-colored habanero
> (same seeds; some of the plants had red and some had brown fruits) in
> the freezer. They are noticably hotter than regular yellow-orange habs.

I think it would be fine for the simple reason that you can dilute the
finished vodka with other vodka or some other booze. If you end up
with a concentrate, that's OK.

The vodkas I made for X-mas still have the peppers in them. They're
thermonuclear now. Very hot. But they also have a wonderful pepper
flavor about them. I dilute with plain vodka for bloody marys and mix
with liqueurs for some home-invented drinks. Here's one that was a hit
recently. First you get the smoothness of the liqueurs, then the hot
kicks in, then the mint. You have hot, cold and chocolate all going on
simultaneously.

Pastorio's Chocolate Sumbitch (one of my neighbors named it)
1 ounce pepper vodka
2 ounces brown creme de cacao
1/2 ounce peppermint schnapps
Shake with shaved ice. Strain and pour into a martini glass.

Pastorio

"Bob (this one)" > wrote in message
...
>
> Pastorio's Chocolate Sumbitch (one of my neighbors named it)
> 1 ounce pepper vodka
> 2 ounces brown creme de cacao
> 1/2 ounce peppermint schnapps
> Shake with shaved ice. Strain and pour into a martini glass.
>
That sounds delicious! I'll have to try it once I've made this summer's
pepper vodka.

Anny